Post-Budget Scene: Sneak Peek of How Top Startup Minds Are Responding

Madhumita Agrawal, Founder & CEO, Oben Electric

"The Union Budget 2025 is well balanced, in terms of supporting India’s aspirations of emerging as a global hub for tech and innovation, while supporting MSMEs – the nation’s backbone, and creating more job opportunities for the nation’s youth. Investments in Clean Tech will certainly give a boost to the EV sector. Exemption of basic customs duty on Cobalt Powder and lithium-ion battery waste, and including 35 additional capital goods for EV manufacturing, will give a significant push to indigenous manufacturing. This will not only ensure easy availability crucial, also boosting domestic manufacturing and creating more job opportunities for the nation’s youth. At the same time, the budget also has key provisions for boosting the next wave of entrepreneurship in the nation, including the New Fund of Funds with a fresh contribution of Rs. 10,000 crore is a welcomed move, following the funding winter & dry spells that entrepreneurs had to endure in the previous year. Easing credit access to MSMEs is also a crucial move and will lead to better tech upgradation and more employment avenues for the nation's youth. At Oben, we commend these key developments in the Union Budget 2025 and stay committed to helping India’s move towards sustainability and clean energy".

Ankush Sabharwal, Founder & CEO, CoRover

"The 2025 Budget has ushered into existence a star of goodwill for the startup sector in India. A booster of hope to the realm of education technology comes in the creation of a Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence in Education, which will be launched with an appropriation of Rs. 500 crore; here, world-class AI technologies will imprint another trajectory upon our worldview of learning processes. It goes to bridge the real intent of the authority in supporting industry through another wave of the Fund of Funds, with an additional Rs. 10,000 crore being made available, alongside the already available Rs. 10,000 crore. These initiatives are seen as catalysts to first consolidate up to 1.5 lakh startups and further push forward the larger context for the attainment of development and inclusivity on the vast Indian radiant startup scenario."